


Record Store

by ShiftBubble



Category: Real Person Fiction, Stranger Things (TV 2016), Stranger Things RPF, Unspecified Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, F/M, Falling In Love, Fillie, Friendship/Love, Love Triangles, Young Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2020-09-06 22:35:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20299054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiftBubble/pseuds/ShiftBubble
Summary: RPF/AU w/ Stranger Things Cast! Set 5 years in the future, Millie, Finn, etc are 19yo+ actors for a unique show called "Record Store" (now in its 5th season!)-- story is about the relationship of Finn/Millie/Dacre (love triangle) and the rest of the cast.  The show "Record Store" is filled with super fun Stranger Things fandom references. Don't like, don't read.





	1. Beginning

Dacre can’t help but be interested in Millie. But he doesn’t want to come on too strong. She is kind and funny, but, of course, he knows she is a bit younger and she is probably interested in guys like Finn anyway. And yet, he cannot help but think about her on his days off and when he is with her. He doesn’t know what’s going on in her head, but if she is not holding out hope for someone else, he may actually have a chance.

On a typical Tuesday at their script workshop, she sits on his right. Because the cast of their show features high schoolers venturing into their lives outside the record store and they are all young adults, the producers conduct their script workshops in a classroom setting. Behind Millie is Finn, and there’s the rub. Dacre has finally become friendly with Finn after a rocky start and they have worked closely together on a couple of scenes, but that doesn’t change the fact that if Finn, who is close to Millie and obviously likes her, hasn’t made a move yet, then Dacre is within his right to try.

Millie is spunky, a word that brings to mind a lot of the attitude and determination that she brings to her craft. She loves what she does and has been doing it for a while. She has known Finn for years and they’ve had amazing on-screen moments. She has talked about him as her brother, a person that she is thankful to be working with in order to brush the gossip away. They have practically grown up together. She tries to ignore the fact that now that they are older, she may see him in a different light. She has wondered about them once or twice even, and she has patiently waited for Finn to make the first move. She has watched him completely transform as he performs into a suave romantic in scenes with her. It isn’t any scarier than acting for him. Why was it so hard in real life?

She only met Dacre two months ago when he joined the group replacing Sean who had been killed off last season. Their show ‘Record Store’ has been filming now for 5 seasons, or approximately 7 years, and started when the cast was a group of 11- to 13-year-olds. Now, the eldest, Caleb, is 20 years old and Millie is 19. She is the lead. Her role of Jane has grown from quiet girl to leader of the party. Her character’s romance with Mike, played by Finn, has evolved as well. They have broken up and gotten back together so many times; it has flipped each season since they were 14. They were each other’s first real-life kiss although something about it had always seemed fake. Thankfully, the fans who watch thought it was believable. The fandom carries a lot of expectations for them as a couple. The rumors about them are insidious, and the two tend to spend less time together in public to avoid the trolls. They are only free to be themselves in the script workshops and between takes.

Millie’s heart immediately melts when the empty seat next to her is filled by Dacre. It finds a solid form again when he does not pay any attention to her the first week of filming. He seems turned off by all the boys. Finn sits at Dacre’s diagonal. Noah sits in front of Millie, and Gaten on Noah’s right by the door. Sadie sits in front of Dacre while Caleb sits directly behind. Sometimes Caleb kicks his chair or blows his nose right into his ear.

Dacre is the oldest of them at 24, and he knows why he was cast. As much care as he puts into his material and his craft, he was cast as fresh eye candy. This season is set in the summer. Bored of the record store, the cast take off of work, head to the beach, where Dacre’s character Billy is a lifeguard, and are all witnesses to a terrible crime. This season is really bringing out the Nancy Drew in each of them.

Aside from the lines they are required to perform, Dacre chooses not to make friends. It is something that has bothered Millie from day one.

“I don’t know why he hasn’t wanted to hang out with us. He’s not that much older,” she insists.

“Because he is a screw-y jerk. He just thinks he is better than us!” Finn insists tossing a ball in the air. He is lying with a flat back on the red traditional buttoned sofa with his feet dangling off the edge. He sprouted up to a good six feet before he stopped growing. His dark brown nearly black ringlets are squished and hair gets in his eyes making it difficult for him to catch. He stops throwing the ball up long enough to brush the shaggy hair from out of his eyes.

“No that is not _it_ and you know it,” Millie reverts into a British accent. Between this season and the last, she went on vacation with Sadie to Bali for two weeks and moved into her own furnished flat in London. She had gotten a lot of her twang back, which she lost from living in her family’s house in Florida.

“I think he is really sweet. He is super considerate and he really tried to make me feel comfortable,” Sadie says from a gray, vintage nailhead armchair. Millie drops her feet to the ground. She had been sitting cross legged in a wooden backless bar stool that she had propped up near the brick wall next to the logo

**=Record Store=**

“Hold on, when have you spoken to him outside of_ work_?” Millie asks _almost jealous? _Finn instinctively perks his ears, dropping the ball on to the ground.

“A couple days ago, he asked to meet me to go over our lines. You know the big reveal in episode seven that he is my half-brother, right? He thought it would be good to get to know each other for inspiration in the second half of the season. He is… cool,” she smiles with a small shrug.

“I don’t buy it! The guy is a jerk. Make me change my mind,” he says drily copying the meme. Millie ignores him.

“Hey, who rolled this thing into the middle of the stacks?” Gaten says kicking the ball on the ground. “I am trying to sneak ice cream and iced cold beverages to you guys. The least you can do is clear a path!” he says balancing at least 6 different orders on a tray into the back.

This whole area is actually their set. In the show, the group hangs out there in between work shifts, just like they did when they were kids. Their favorite place to spend time after school was always the old record store. After season 3, when they were old enough for part-time jobs there, it became a place for work and play. The directors and producers had attempted multiple times to get the cast to hang out in their trailers, even upgrading their facilities so they were more enticing, but old habits die hard. Now they simply insisted that they did not eat or leave trash that could accidentally make its way into the shot.

“What’s going on here?” Gaten asks taking a bite of Scoops Ahoy’s signature flavor U.S.S. Butterscotch from the real-life ice cream promotion for their show. “OOH! This is good.”

“Nothing!” Finn tries to change the subject.

“We were talking about the new guy,” Sadie smirks impishly.

“Oh yeah,” he nods a lot. “Guy is hot!” he beams. Sadie and Millie burst into laughter, yelling at him playfully. Finn looks back and forth at all their faces completely confused and a bit disturbed.

“What is the matter with you guys? He’s just a guy. An old guy at that; it’s weird!” Finn uses his hands expressively.

“You are just jealous,” Sadie retorts adjusting her straightened red hair to fall over her checkered, pink tweed blazer. She is always perfectly dressed even when not filming or doing press.

“Finn, everyone knows you are beautiful. There is nothing to be worried about. He won’t take your place as the cast heartthrob!” Millie says jokingly. As she makes eye contact with Finn, she bites her lip to keep the trembling smile in check. Finn is even more perturbed.

“Hey! I mean I will kindly take second place to that king—have you seen how jacked he is?” Gaten continues, making the girls even weaker with laughter. He laughs waiting for Finn to get it on it, but Finn is actually looking more and more pissed off. Gaten huffs and coughs, but eventually stops his own smile, taking a mouthful of ice cream. He immediately holds his forehead from the brain freeze.

“I just—you know it bothers me,” Millie says getting serious too. She wipes her hand on her washed out blue, wide-leg, ankle-length trousers. “He has been a part of the cast for two whole months and he has not really bothered getting to know us. I don’t know maybe it is just me, but we have not had any new people for a while and I thought it would be fun to have a new friend in the group who isn’t t money- or fame-hungry because they are in the same business as us. Maybe I was just being dumb,” Millie finishes quietly. Sadie pouts and reaches out to Millie who mopes over and slips into the armchair with her. Sadie fake soothes her before getting comfortable and actually rubbing her head. Finn stares at them, but mostly Millie, while neither of them is looking. He is caught by Gaten who immediately looks away.

“Alright, I’m going to go head back to my trailer. Maybe Noah and Caleb are done with their scene at the beach. I’ll tell them you got them—stuff,” he takes his ice cream cup and ignores Gaten’s handshake.

***

Before Finn consciously knows what he is doing, he is walking towards Dacre’s trailer rather than his own. It is strange when opportunity presents itself like this. Part of Finn expects that Dacre will still be at the beach. Maybe if he knocks, no one will be home. Instead, Dacre opens the door still in his lifeguard trunks with a towel around his neck. His hair for the show is typically a long wig, but he has taken it off so he is half himself and half Billy. Finn does not know what he expects to say or do now that he is there, but what comes out of his mouth certainly is not planned.

“Finn,” Dacre’s honestly surprised and looks around to see if there are others around. “Can I do something for you?” he says curtly.

“Yeah, why don’t you hang out with us?” Finn hears his big mouth go off, but not quick enough to filter it off. In his mind, he was telling the Australian prick to ‘go to hell’, but, for some reason, it was not coming out that way.

“Maybe you can make an effort? If you are going to be working with us for the whole season, God-forbid even longer, it would be a less douchebag move to—I don’t know—actually get to know your castmates as a group. I mean I could not care less, but for their sake maybe shower, put on some normal clothes and skip the trailer diva routine. It gets old pretty quick. Older than you. So, when you are ready to hang out with us like equals, we are typically on the Record Store set between takes. That’s it. That is all I want to say,” he says and spins away before the man can even respond.

Finn thinks about what he has done and knows he will continue to wonder why he did what he did for the rest of his life. What he did purposely conflicts with his own desires. And although he does not know it yet, this will start the wild and dramatic twist of events set to take place over the next year. The only conclusion he can come to deep down is simple and the only thing that has ever mattered: Millie. This was something she wanted. He only wanted to make her happy, as self-sacrificing as it was in this case. He didn’t think about his own fears. He did not think about things that way. This was something he could do for her whether she knew he forced it or not.

He wishes he was more selfish.


	2. Beginning Part 2

The next morning, before they can get started filming episode four, they have a script workshop. Finn has nearly forgotten what he’d done the day before when he knocked on Dacre’s trailer door. It could have been a weird dream or hallucination caused by tiredness or too much sugar in his bloodstream. Irregardless, Finn isn’t prepared for any changes and he hopes that, although he seemed serious at the time, he can convince Dacre that he was just kidding, and he likes the status quo—he likes it a lot. And really, Dacre shouldn’t bother making any effort. 

Finn is the last of his “class” to arrive besides Dacre, of course, who always shows up exactly on time, not wanting to mingle with the cast. 

Noah is sitting precariously on Sadie’s desk with his sneakers outstretched on Millie’s desk. 

“Oh, that’s really great just put your _ filthy _ sneakers on the place I work. That’s just lovely!” Millie exaggeratedly thanks him. Noah beams brightly in response and fights to keep his kicks on her desk as she pushes him off jokingly. Sadie helps by pushing his upper body off her desk complaining that his butt resting on the place that _ she _works. 

Caleb is half-asleep in his chair with a beanie and headphones over his ears. He must have had a long night. His personal brand #Embraceyourface is printed in large letters on his black and yellow hoodie. He’s got on basketball mesh shorts, knee-high socks, and neon yellow kicks that stand out even under the shadow of his desk. Gaten has found a feather from somewhere in the props room and is attempting to stealthily tickle Caleb’s face without being caught. It’s entertainment to last hours. 

Finn grins. Everything seems right in the universe. 

As Finn walks over to them, he dabs Noah who has finally removed his arse and trainers from the girls’ desks. He nods at Millie and Sadie, who begin reading and deleting comments for Millie’s late-night post from her bedroom. Finn had seen it and debated leaving a comment; something cool like the ‘green alien’ or the ‘emoji wearing sunglasses’. The fans these days were intense though and there was no word or emoji he could post without it being analyzed. Instead, he just gave it a heart and continued scrolling. 

Finn knows there will be another ten minutes of nonsense and bickering until the producers, directors and writers will show up to go over their vision for the episode. Finn has already read the next 3 scripts. Mike and Jane are dating this season, again, but they have the least amount of screen time together because they’re reacting very differently with the crime that occurred. Mike takes on more hours at the record store while Jane is sleuthing on the beach. It’s interesting not knowing how it ends yet. 

Finn purposely wakes up Caleb mid-tickle much to Gaten’s chagrin. Finn is amused. Suddenly Dacre opens the door. The whole room quiets a bit as they adjust to the fact that he has arrived earlier than he ever has for one of these things. Instinctively everyone finds their seat and sits up in their chairs as if they were just caught by principal. He doesn’t say anything immediately, but after a second he smiles and although it would be tempting, he doesn’t look away from them. 

“Good mornin’,” he grins. 

“Good morning,” they all repeat in unison. Finn covers his eyes with his extremely curly hair. This can’t be happening. 

“I know I never come in early, but go about whatever you were doing,” he says kindly and takes his seat next to Millie. None of them take their eyes off him until he’s seated. 

Gaten makes eyes with Finn and Caleb in the back questioningly, then crosses his eyes. Noah breaks the silence by asking Sadie a question. Once they’ve started talking, the tension in the room loosens. 

“Hello Millie,” Dacre says kindly. 

“Hi,” she smiles in return. Her soft blink is clear from her side profile. Finn is extremely aware that her eyelids are pink from a brush of eyeshadow and her lashes at this angle are long and curled up. Also, she smells like vanilla. 

“I heard you bought an apartment in London. That’s wonderful. I love England. It’s _ wonderful _ there, especially in the summer, and the theatre is spectacular.” His accent is pronounced. Finn realizes he hasn’t heard him speak much with his normal Australian accent. He uses an American accent when filming. 

“I love it there too! I’m excited to go back again. I’m renting my flat in Atlanta right now until the end of filming. Are you excited to go back to Australia?” 

“Oh absolutely, nothing like being home, absolutely nothing like it, but I actually bought an apartment in Atlanta. I figure with all the film and television industry work here I can see about staying. I live between the two.” Millie nods politely with understanding. Finn can tell she’s a lot quieter than she typically is around him and the others and it irks him why she seems that way. He turns and notices that Caleb has been trying to get his attention. He drops his hand and pats it down. Finn is confused before he realizes the meaning of the gesture. ‘STOP STARING,’ it says. Finn rebuffs him and shakes his hair out, but leaves them alone playing on his phone aimlessly until the crew show up. 

*** 

Dacre has another shooting at the beach today continuing where he left off the day before. Right before the director says action, he is doused with water to make it seem believable that he was just swimming in the water. It’s always the same amount of water from the same angle every time. In between takes, he gets dried off with a towel somewhere out of the sun. Finn has a scene to film later that day with Gaten that will likely go late. He heads to the beach now since it’s the only time he may have to do it. 

Finn says hi to the makeup and hair stylists who love him, but he makes a clear beeline for Dacre. 

“Hey man, what’s up?” he says pleasantly. 

“Yeah,” Finn begins, “so I wanted to talk to you about what I said yesterday.” His hands are shaking with anxiety. 

“Look, you’re right,” Dacre answers quickly. He shakes his head slowly. 

“What?” Finn’s eyes widen in confusion. 

“There’s nothing you can say that I haven’t been wracking my brain thinking about all night. I’ve been an arse and I appreciate you being the bigger man and calling me out on it. I needed that. I’m going to work on it. You’re a nice group and you made a solid point, alright?” he pats Finn on the shoulder and holds it a second when he realizes it’s shaking. “You okay, man?” 

“I’m fine,” Finn’s expression can’t hide his disappointment, but he covers it with a light smile. Dacre stares a moment before letting it pass. He smiles to himself. 

“Really you did a good thing by me. This morning with the looks on everyone’s faces it was clear. I’m going to make an effort. They’re nice. Very nice. Millie, for one, is _ wonderful. _” 

“Yeah you say that a lot,” Finn retorts. 

“I’m thinking of taking maybe a bigger step.” 

“What?” his lips downturn. For a moment he panics thinking he means something about Millie alone, like a proposal, and he shakes visibly harder. 

“Just a small gathering, possibly dinner at my apartment. It’ll break the tension… and curiosity, I’m sure there’s a lot of that. I’m no mystery. I’m an open book around friends. It might help.” 

“You want to have everyone over for_ dinner _?” Finn repeats the sentiment like Dacre was speaking another language. His dark brows furrow pensively. 

“You think it’ll be a good idea? I figure after talking to Millie about it she seemed interested.” 

“You-brought-this-up-to her already?” Finn barely spaces out his words. They feel strange on his tongue. He can’t believe he’s saying this out loud. This whole conversation has deviated from his original plan. It would be futile to even argue at this point. 

“She actually helped me pick a date. I’ll bring it up to the others later. Millie is looping me into a group chat with everyone. I figure that will be the most... ’casual’ approach.” 

“Oh…” Finn thinks he may need to lay down. Others may consider him a good actor. He considers himself just an actor—neither good nor bad, but he’d be lying if he didn’t say this, right now, was probably his worst performance at _ being _ Finn in his life. 

“You’ll come though? I’m sure if you agreed everyone else would feel more comfortable saying yes. I don’t have everyone’s trust I’m sure, but you can help. Will you?” Looking back, Finn can’t remember if the words “Yeah sure” left his mouth or he just thought them, but according to Dacre’s reaction, he must have said something in the affirmative. He’s lost all vocabulary at this point. 

“Thanks mate!” he smiles patting Finn on the shoulder. 

*** 

On occasion, the cast decides to venture into town to “spook” the locals. Today the plan is to get pizza for lunch. Most of the time, they are spotted by young people around their age and they are perfectly happy to smile for pictures and autographs if they get caught. They've been asked to sign a fan’s skin so many times that on certain adventures like this one: Noah brings his own marker. 

“You know that’s a permanent marker--why _ must _you always do this?” Millie fakes serious, but her smile betrays her. 

“Nine times out of ten they ask for it; it’s like a tattoo!” he retorts. She doesn’t believe him, but she pushes his shoulder to get him into the limo they’re all taking to the nearby beachside strip mall. 

Caleb is already on his phone live-streaming that he’s going out to grab some food and he hopes to maybe see some fans. Just before signing off Gaten squeezes past Caleb to get his face in the camera. 

“See ya guys!” he smiles goofily. 

“Dude!” Caleb yells at him for blocking his face. He moves his hand out of reach and says goodbye properly before signing off. Finn pretends to not be amused, but his lips curve up in the slightest smile. 

Millie slides in next to him. Noah sits across from her. It takes a moment before he realizes he’s backwards. 

“Wait-wait!” he yells loud and intensely enough to convince the driver to stop. “Someone switch with me!” 

“Are you kidding me right now?” Sadie sighs exasperated by his games. “I’m starving!” 

“Then switch with me-e-e,” he groans like a child. 

“You are like a baby. You know that, right?” Caleb asks him also unamused. 

“Millie! Finnlard!” he groans to them. 

“I’m not moving, buddy,” Finn laughs at him. 

“Look, this is a window seat,” Noah points out referring to Finn’s middle sit between Millie and Sadie. “Come on, I get sick in cars,” he complains. 

“Noah, no you _ don’t _! We’re leaving,” Millie makes eye-contact with the driver through the rearview mirror. No one looks at Noah and he eventually pouts and looks out the window. Millie now stressed out about her best friend, and sometimes grown-child, Noah, stares out the window too, leaning her head comfortably on the glass. Finn is going to play on his phone, but he can’t help but think this is a good opportunity to talk to Millie now that everyone else is distracted on their phones or listening to music. 

Caleb makes eye contact with him and edges his head quickly to the side obviously gesturing to Millie’s availability to talk. Finn spazzes in response to Caleb’s probing. Millie is bothered just enough to pick her head up. 

“Are you okay?” she asks him. Her shoulder-length hair is straightened and parted down the middle, pinned down on the sides with mismatched pink and blue barrettes. She is wearing a yellow tube top. Finn purses his lips to the side and nods silently. She copies him before tilting her head back. 

“Millie,” he says getting her attention again. “Um, I was wondering what you said to Dacre about having a dinner.” 

“He told you?” she asks. 

“Yeah I spoke to him,” he realizes he can’t say that he went looking for him without him sounding suspicious. 

“I think it’s very sweet,” she smiles thinking of him. “He also said he was going to come by for pizza today if we’re still around when his scene is over.” 

“Oh... great,” Finn keeps his teeth locked together in a fake smile. She smiles at him and it makes him feel better. 

“You’re a terrible liar,” she says putting his hand on his shoulder. Finn, for a second, is stunned but plays it off as nothing. They don’t typically exchange physical affection outside of their roles. He is warming up to it when she removes it. “So, you’ll come to the dinner, right?” 

“I wouldn’t miss it.” 


	3. Beginning Part 3

When the crew gets out of the limo in the parking lot, there is already a small crowd of people waiting for them. They all stare at Caleb disapprovingly. 

“I swear I didn’t tell them where I was going. I didn’t even leave a good clue. They must have guessed.” 

“Oh wait, we weren’t telling anyone where we were going? I may have something to do with that,” Gaten looks away sheepishly. They all sigh. It's typical of him. They put on their brave faces before interacting with the crowd. 

Finn smiles and smolders with all the female fans. They love him. 

Millie gets some pictures with the younger girls in the crowd. It was very likely they had grown up watching her on the show. Even when the cast was underage, she wouldn’t have considered it strictly a kids’ show. There was something for all audiences. She’s seen toddler cosplays of her character and Pinterest boards dedicated to themed “Record Store” parties for 12-year-olds. 

She kneels to say hi to some of her littlest fans. She loves them. The girls always remind her of her sister, Ava, from when she was a baby. Ava’s still her favorite person although she’s grown up a lot. 

Finn looks back to find Millie, but almost misses her because she’s crouched with some kids. He encodes it in his visual memory and goes back to the fans. 

Sadie is the first to walk away from the crowd to check out the menu. She's been vegan for most of her life, so her pizza slice has extra sauce, tons of vegetables and no cheese. 

“You want me to order for you?” she calls back to them. Gaten and Finn walk over to her followed by Caleb and Millie to make their orders. 

Noah is too deep in the middle of an intense conversation with several girls who are asking about his Youtube channel. He shrieks with excitement to something one of them said and covers his mouth. 

“NOAH!” Finn yells loudly over his shoulder before taking a messy bite of pizza. 

“Oh shoot! Sorry I gotta go! It was so nice talking to you though!” he hurries over to them. 

“Making friends I see,” Caleb shoots his brows up flirtatiously. Noah slaps him playfully on the arm. 

“They are fans of my channel!” he replies. 

“Did you use your marker on them?” Sadie smirks as she delicately rips off a piece of her square slice. Caleb copies his shriek mockingly, mannerisms and all. Noah ignores him and takes the slice from him, shoving as much as he can in his mouth at once. 

“Wow man! That’s how it is?” Caleb admonishes him. Noah smiles back. 

Just as they are ready for their second slices, another car parks. About 60 feet away, the small crowd, which has gotten larger in the last 10 minutes, screams when they see Dacre step out of the driver's seat. He waves and blows a kiss politely in their direction before suavely walking over to the gang who have moved to a red picnic table under a giant cheesy umbrella. 

“Nice car!” Gaten is the first to say. 

“Thanks mate. It’s on lease,” he says matter-of-factly. It's very down to earth and relaxed. Finn stays silent, staring daggers at the older man. “Hey Millie, I was hoping to talk to you for a quick second if you don’t mind.” She is in the middle of a bite, but she beams at the attention and chews quickly, cleaning her face and hands with a napkin while hopping over the bench in her cargo pants. He walks back to check out the menu. Millie looks back quickly at Sadie to check her face quickly. Sadie gives her the all-clear sign. 

“Would you like another slice Mills?” he asks taking out his wallet. 

“Oh no I'm fine. I’m good with my last slice,” she giggles at hearing him say her nickname. He smiles at her taking her in. 

“The barrettes are a nice touch,” he says agreeably. Millie touches them instinctively; she’d forgotten they were there. 

“Oh thanks!” They continue to smile at each other. 

Finn can’t hear anything from where he is, but he has a perfect view. When she reaches up to touch her hair shyly, he nearly gags on his crust. 

“Are you guys watching this garbage?” Finn comments to his friends. Sadie shifts in her seat and nibbles her lip now that her pizza’s all gone. When he looks at them for support, they’re all awkwardly staring away from him. “What?!” 

“What do you want us to say?” Gaten asks. 

“Um, how about the truth! It’s gross. He doesn’t even know us!” 

“Well, he is making an effort,” Noah says lightly. 

“As of today! Today he is! He just, out of the blue, wants to be our friend and hang out and you guys are defending him,” Finn is angered by their silence on the matter. 

“We’re not defending him. We don’t know him that well, like you said, but we also don’t hate the guy,” Caleb offers helpfully. 

“You know what? I’m not going to his stupid dinner! I’m not.” 

“Finn, you have to go!” Noah insists. 

“No, I don’t,” he says matter-of-factly. He immediately knows he wouldn’t step foot in Dacre’s living room unless he was kidnapped or dragged there. 

“It’ll be so weird if you don’t come,” Gaten groans. 

“You aregoing to go Finn no matter what you say now, so you should just get used to the idea.” 

“What are you even talking about, Sadie?” 

“Millie is going to be there,” Sadie replies simply. 

The boys are all silenced. Finn freezes and looks back to Millie who is smiling pleasantly with Dacre. He hasn’t thought of it like that. Of course, he wants to see her outside of work, or even off set, when the idea of work is far from their heads. Beyond just Mike and Jane, away from the pressure of their on-screen relationship, maybe he can gain some courage to do something/say something to her. Also, if he isn’t there, it will drive him crazy. He knows he won’t be able to sleep. Even if being in the room drives him crazy in a different way, at least he can keep an eye on the oh-so-perfect Dacre with his good-looking face and fancy accent, possibly stepping in if he needs to. 

“Well, shit!” he says aloud having come to an unfortunate conclusion. 

“Told ya,” Sadie smirks. 

Meanwhile, Dacre continues his conversation with Millie. 

“Have you gotten an idea of what the others think about the dinner idea?” 

“I haven’t mentioned it to them, _ silly! _ ” she laughs and lies badly knowing she is caught. Technically they weren’t supposed to know since he ha s n’t messaged them yet . He raises his brows . She sighs, “ Okay so I did, but t hey’re _ really _ excited for it!” 

“I don’t mind, Millie... really!” he teases. “They probably liked the idea better coming from you. You’re much more personable than I am. And you are very kind for helping me. I appreciate that—appreciate you,” he speaks slowly, every word to reach her ears is another blow to her sanity. He can’t be this suave. 

“Really, it’s nothing,” she says breathily, blushing immediately. 

“Oh, you got very rosy,” he smirks. Millie is stunned speechless. Dacre chuckles enjoying their dynamic. “Are you sure I can’t get you something?” 

“I’m-,” she tosses her head, “I’m fine... You should come eat with us though. They’re all getting seconds,” she points back to her friends. 

“Well, that’s perfect. I’ll pick it up for them then,” he says and leans over to the cashier to order. Millie turns around to look at her table. She sends a thumbs-up to Sadie and the others. 

“Oh, look Dacre’s getting us more pizza,” Caleb acknowledges the newcomer walking over with two pizza boxes. 

“Sweet!” Gaten looks up beaming. He freezes and looks to Finn, “I mean—ok.” Finn sucks his teeth annoyedly. 

Millie walks a step behind him laughing at something he just said, putting both hands on his shoulders, playfully guiding him to the table. Finn has already lost his appetite. Now, he reaches a new level of disgust. 

“I got something for everyone. Please take because I cannot allow myself to eat them all. I’ll lose my contract,” he says. They each thank him as they reach for the pie. Dacre notices Finn doesn’t take any. 

“Hungry, Finn?” His immediate instinct is to say something snarky about not being hungry—anymore. If he really went over the edge, he’d probably slip in an expletive for good measure, but he knows to be civil in front of everyone. It has already been made clear that it makes them uncomfortable. In an effort to be kind versus honest, he lies. 

“I don’t think the last slices of pizza agreed well with me. I probably won’t come back here again so I’m going to skip. Thanks man,” he says hating himself for sounding lame and puts his head down naturally. 

They all stare at him. Suddenly he’s too polite and now _ that _ is noticeable. Millie tilts her head like a puppy. Dacre doesn’t know the difference. He’s not familiar with Finn enough. 

“Not an issue—I can fit one extra. Filming in this sun is brutal, you know? You really work up an appetite. I’ll call today my cheat day.” Dacre adds seasoning to a slice he pulls from the pie. 

“Wait until August, you’ll be roasting out there. They’ll have you out in 100-degree weather,” Noah inserts. 

“Really?” he chews interested. 

“It gets so hot out here that they’ve had to cancel some shoots, which they hate to do because it costs them so much money every time it happens,” Gaten says. 

“They’ll usually try to film something else instead that uses the soundstage so we don’t waste the day,” Caleb explains. 

“Tell him about the hurricane!” Sadie exclaims remembering what happened to them last year. The statement is directed at any of them, but Millie picks it up ready to tell the story. 

“Oh my gosh, yes! It was _ awful _ ! We were all totally, _ com _ _ \- _ _ plete _ _ \- _ _ ly _ terrified. It came out of nowhere. We knew it was rainy, and the forecast originally said it was nothing to worry about, and then all of a sudden it was like a category 10 storm that just cut the power while we were working! They were desperate for a backup generator. They had us all crowded in the Record Store set with like a hundred crew members. We used to have this other set and it got completely flooded because somebody left a door unlocked and the winds were so rough it flung the door open. Gone! Thousands of dollars wasted; dripping in wetness it was! Just wow!” Millie finishes. “We were off work for like a week before the fall mid-season finale thankfully so it didn’t affect taping so bad. The writers chose to rewrite the end so they wouldn’t need the set anymore and that’s when we lost Sean.” 

“I miss him!” Sadie cries. 

“Yeah that guy was the best,” Noah grins. 

“Sounds like a crazy experience. I’m glad you were all fine. I was in LA last year around that time wrapping up on some press on a film I was working on,” he thinks. 

“I loved Power Rangers! I think it deserved way better ratings than it got,” Gaten inserts. 

“Yeah, you and Naomi Scott were like dream goals!” Noah exclaims. 

“Naomi Scott,” Caleb repeats with heart-eyes. They all chuckle at his expense. 

“Thank you. I really appreciate that. I think sometimes on paper, or in theory, a plan seems really good, but it doesn’t come out exactly how you think. I’m very proud of myself and the team for what we did. The writers had some pretty lofty goals. We worked extremely hard and you know critics can be tough, but I know a lot of people got to enjoy it and that is what keeps me going. Honestly that has helped me find my way to other projects including this show and so every little thing along the way I am grateful for,” Dacre says genuinely. He acknowledges all the crew members and especially all of them. Finn holds his poker face even through Millie’s story. 

He remembered the hurricane event very differently because of what nearly happened. 

When the lights first went out, everyone screamed, but the assumption was it had to be a fluke and would turn back on soon. After talking with tech, the director eventually clarified they would be out of power for a couple of hours. Some of them wanted to head home, but it wasn’t safe. The screaming cell phones warning them of dangerous conditions encouraged whoever was doubting that they were better off staying put. With no place to go, the cast resorted to their usual acts. Being friends with a group since childhood meant there were certain roles they fell into, and thankfully, they were all close friends or else they would have slowly gone crazy. 

Hour 1 was spent mostly on their phones tweeting and IG-ing about the blackout. 

Hour 2 was spent grumbling over the lack of food. 

Hour 3 was the most stressful as phones started dying and backup chargers became prime property. 

Hour 4 was quiet as people went in and out of naps. 

By hour 5, the energy had picked up again with the hope that they would be free soon and the desire for freedom and liberation caused some anarchy and chaos. 

Sadie and Millie raided the costume department and came back with party goodies for everyone to wear including rainbow boas and New Years Eve glasses from the last 3 years. Gaten began and then lost a dance off to Caleb. Noah started singing karaoke. Finn, only with some pushing from the others, did some stand up he made up on the spot. Gaten laughed the loudest, but Millie laughed most sincerely. 

When he returned to the couch, Noah stood up to do impressions. Finn whispered conspiratorially into Millie’s ear teasing Noah. Her navy-blue boa matched perfectly with her pink birthday crown. Her smile was infectious, and when she laughed, he felt happier then he’d ever been. They kept up the banter back and forth until eventually the others took over the teasing. 

Millie enjoyed the feeling of whispering in his ear too. It was different to be like this with Finn. They didn’t have pressure. They were whoever they wanted to be at that moment. She felt herself staring in a way she typically tried to avoid. 

Finn didn’t know what had come over him. He felt freer with her then he ever allowed himself to be before. When Gaten complained about being thirsty, Finn instinctively stood up and reached a hand to Millie. They went together so quietly that the others didn’t notice. Just being alone with her for any scrap of time was worth it. When they got to the vending machine, they remembered the power had cut it off too and they’d have to go back. Neither of them moved immediately. 

“This isn’t so bad.” 

“I think it’s been pretty fun so far actually,” she smiled and leaned back playing with her nails. He held his breath. 

“Millie,” he exhaled. 

“Yeah,” she looked intensely in his direction. They looked at each other and each other’s lips. The distance between them could have been crossed in 3 seconds, but they only had 2. 

The main house lights shuttered on. Hoots of approval rang out as crew members rushed from behind them to the front of set, breaking their mood before anything could happen. 

*** 

Finn, sitting at the table with his friends, remembered this like it was yesterday. Millie made eye contact with Finn. She remembered too. 


	4. Beginning Part 5

Finn counts down the minutes before his swan song. He'll never show his face again after tonight. 

He is half-dressed, debating whether he should wear a bowtie. He wishes he can ask someone about it, but he didn’t enlist his stylist tonight. Finn throws it to the side and puts on his jacket. 

Finn doesn’t drink often—technically, he isn’t legal yet. He snuck a bottle in his room yesterday preemptively assuming he might need the courage to leave his house. One shot of scotch doesn’t do much, so he takes another two before getting in the backseat of the car. By the time he gets to Dacre’s apartment, he is nicely buzzed. He is getting his annoyed-to-be-there face ready when the door opens. 

She looks beautiful. Better than any Golden Globes or premiere-day look. Her hair is curled in beachy waves. She’s wearing a cute dress with a pair of her own designed Converse. 

Welcome Finn! We’re just getting started! You’re the last one. Come in!” she smiles yanking his arm to bring him in. It throws off his balance just a bit and he almost trips over her. “You okay?” her eyes widen. He hiccups and she can smell the liquor. She bites her lip, not knowing what to say. 

“You look beautiful,” he says loose with his tongue. She gently sighs and lets him straighten out on his own. 

She directs him to the dining room of Dacre’s luxury apartment. A dramatic set of stairs behind them leads up to what must be the second floor. The window views are spectacular. Finn takes a seat across from Millie. Both sitting close to their host. Dacre sits at the head of the table. 

“Finn you made it,” Dacre acknowledges him politely. Gaten claps his shoulder making Finn rock and sway. He brushes him off. Sadie continues her story. The rest are working on their first course. 

Dacre spent the week planning a dinner party, and while he can cook thankfully, it wasn’t too hard to call in a cook for a four-course meal. He almost hired a band, but he thought better of it. After dessert, the group wanders over to the grand piano in Dacre’s apartment. 

The moment he admits he has any schooling they all insist Dacre play them something. He can only get out the first couple bars of Fur Elise, which everyone seems to know, before chuckling to himself and begging someone else to replace him. Gaten plays the Addams Family theme as he nods at Finn, who can’t be less amused. Sadie knows Frere Jacques and Noah butchers Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Millie has no such skill. 

She drifts over to Dacre. In the last week, they spoke to each other almost every day, either in person or video chat. The flirting has been fairly constant. Being the hostess alongside Dacre, like a real couple, feels right. As she drifts over, he holds his arms out to give her a hug. She stays there for a moment breathing him in. He smells like... well she can’t put a finger on it, but he smells like Dacre. 

She is almost able to put everything else out of her mind, but from her side-eye she sees Finn, sloppy on wine from dinner, and tenses up. Dacre notices the change and pulls her back to follow her gaze. He sighs regrettably. 

“I think I’ll have a talk with him. See how he’s doing—I don’t want to see him like this all night,” he says. He almost brushes his lips on her forehead as he pulls back. “I’ll be right back.” She nods hopefully. 

Dacre moves like a hero. In a comic, he’d clearly be the good guy—the Clark Kent/Superman type that all the girls fawn over. Millie is happy it is not just her; it's biology. 

Caleb turns on the stereo and gets the party started. Finn hasn’t left the dinner table. Dacre calls for Finn to follow him into the kitchen. 

“Finn, you don’t seem to be enjoying yourself. I know I’m not the only who is worried about you tonight, but I elected myself to talk to you since it’s my apartment. Look you can stay tonight on my couch if you want. I don’t want your parents worried about you.” 

Maybe it’s his accent, or just the way he carries himself, but he seemed like an Australian professor and, in a state like his, it really pisses Finn off. 

“God, how old are you? You sound like a dad—you sound like my dad,” Finn fake gags and accidentally makes himself really nauseous. Dacre looks concerned. 

“Finn... this has something to do with Millie, doesn’t it?” 

“WHAT?” 

“Hey, calm down, okay. I don’t want to draw their attention. I definitely don’t think you want _ her _to hear this so...” Finn looks at him testily. Dacre is prepared for Finn to lash out again, but he hopes he can avoid that. 

“Look if I'm being honest, I like Millie a lot. She's cool and funny. She has a great laugh and smile. She's someone I like being around, and I plan on asking her out tonight, especially if everything else goes well. I know she’s been your friend for forever, and I’ll never come in-between your friendship. I can tell you don’t like me much, and that’s okay as long as we can still work together. If you want a shot at Millie, you should take it and not wait. I'm not going to wait... Are we clear?” 

Finn doesn’t know what to say. At first it seemed that drinking had made him bold, but now that he’d gotten drunker, that was all gone. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Finn says pushing passed him. Because the party isn’t over, he grabs a bottle of wine and a chilled glass from the cooler and takes a seat on the couch. He pops the top, pours and takes another slug. 

Dacre, still in the kitchen, rubs at his face turning the skin just slightly pink. He rubs and realizes he may need to shave a bit more in the morning. He thinks about getting a brown liquor out of the cabinet for himself but changes his mind. He sits on the swivel bar stool pacing himself before he plans to head back into the party. 

“How did it go?” he hears a female voice say off to his left. Millie is hesitant to come in. 

“It wasn’t what I was hoping for,” he admits. 

“Oh,” she sighs taking a step closer. “I’ve never seen him like this,” she speaks as she moves closer to the marble island. 

“He’s just having a rough night. We all have those sometimes. He’ll move passed it. He’s tough,” he realizes how far she is. “Would you like to—?” he gestures to the empty chair next to him. She smiles a toothless grin and trots the rest of the distance. He smiles back. 

“I don’t know if they’ll be another time tonight and I don’t see a point in waiting. There’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you…” 

“Shoot,” she encourages kindly. 

“How would you feel about going on a real date? Not just casually co-hosting a dinner party or meeting after work, but like a real one—just us,” he squints his eyes wondering if he still sounds suave or if he lost it. He is honestly nervous of what she may say. He's been hoping this will go one way, but there’s always the chance it will not. 

“Oh!” she breathes. Millie’s mind is racing with information._ A date _. Like something real. Beyond flirting. Taking a leap. This hasn’t been just a series of pointless moments, she realizes. The smaller moments have led up to this. Because she is frozen, several seconds go by, which convince Dacre he may have brought this up too soon. 

“You don’t have to answer me right now. You can think about it.” 

“It’s not—Oh! I'm not thinking about—My answer is yes! I was just surprised,” she smiles again and can feel her chest building from her deep breathing. 

“Oh! Good!I thought you were just going to say no for a moment.” 

“NO!” she panics, never wanting him to think she would say no to a date with him. She would have to be crazy. They both smile, more relaxed now. 

“So, we’ll come up with a time?” he offers. 

“Yes! But oh—it will have to be the week after next. I’m going to NY to work on Florence and then, also, we’re going to the Teen Choice Awards so I need to figure out what I’m wearing for that,” her mind works quickly as she gets it all out. “‘Record Store' cast members always get invites because of the show,” she stops herself to breathe. Dacre chuckles at her enthusiasm. 

“I’ll find out if I can still get a seat and I’ll be out there too. Whatever time I can get with you will be amazing I’m sure,” Dacre says having gotten back his charm. 

“Okay!” she giggles and hops off her seat. “I’ll catch you back in there!” she casually flips her golden-brown hair. 

*** 

Before Millie can get back to enjoying the party, she has one last detour. 

She catches Finn in her periphery climbing up the grand steps. She's several steps behind him when she sees him sitting dejectedly on a velvet bench. 

“What are you doing up here, Finnie?” she asks him gently. “Are you feeling sick?” She reaches out to him carefully and sees how dead his eyes look. 

“You’re not going date him, are you?” He pauses and scrubs at his nose with his hand. 

“Oh, Dacre? No—I mean yes? Well, I mean we’ve hung out a couple of times, sure, but we’re not like serious yet, you know?” Millie explains. It's all new to her too. 

“’Hung out’ like friends or like boyfriend/girlfriend.” 

“Why does it matter?” she asks even more carefully. 

“Because.” 

“Why?” she asks curious for a response. He shakes almost angrily. 

“Because he’s old and it’s gross! It doesn’t make any sense.” 

“Finnie, he’s 5 years older than me. That's not a reason,” she chuckles. “You have nothing better than that?” she asks looking for a reason why he looks so upset. 

“Yes! I mean—it is so a _ reason _!” 

“No, it isn’t so. I want another reason. Why shouldn’t I go out with Dacre? Can you give me any other reason?” 

“What? What are you talking about?” 

“Can you give me any other reason?” she repeats. Her eyes on him are soft. Finn looks at her like she has six-heads. 

Suddenly, he reads between the lines and it clicks. He understands what he knew all along, but never clearly deciphered in his mind; she knows. His eyes let on to what he knows. They both know what the magic words would be. Finn pauses, and Millie waits. She's waited a long time for this so what’s a few more seconds. When Finn’s opened mouth eventually closes into a tight line, she understands what her reality is. 

“‘should have known.” She thinks quietly for a minute. She waits before she stands up to leave. 

Before she walks out, she turns back. 

“You know what, Finn? Dacre has been good to me. He cares about me. You know how I _ know _ : he tells me how he feels about me — all the time . And you know what he says ; he says that I’m _ important _ to him. He wants me and he doesn’t want to lose me. He doesn’t have me question every. Single. Action... he doesn’t keep me waiting,” she says becoming steel and adding what she knows will hurt him even more. 

She is tired of dealing with a child. They’ve been going through this for too long. She's ready to move on from the fantasy. 


	5. Beginning Part 6

Monday morning, Millie is on a plane to New York City with her hair and makeup team for a meeting about her beauty line Florence by Mills and a fitting at Valentino for Sunday’s award show. She’s glad her beauty team distracts her from Finn by making wild videos and getting her to stay laughing the whole time. She hasn’t spoken to him since the now infamous dinner party. She prefers to talk to Dacre who she updated when she was about to take-off. Although they had this week off, she was the only one who was working. Thankfully, they are near the end of filming ‘Record Store’ for the Fall. In November, they’ll start filming again the second half of the season to premiere after the winter break. Millie knows that there are a million things that need to happen between now and then, so she isn’t rushing it. 

When she started Florence by Mills, Millie was only 14. Florence had grown a lot since then. The primary focus of her Monday meeting was to discuss the launch of her first-ever storefront at her exclusive New Year's Party in Los Angeles. Millie couldn’t be more excited to see it all come together. She reminds herself daily how thankful she is that it has taken off in the past five years. 

She's grown up with Florence too. When she was younger, her little sister used to travel with her on her business and work trips, but it’s been a long time since then. Some of her best memories meeting her fans involved Ava stealing the spotlight on the stage. Even on the sidelines, Ava loved the attention and getting recognized. Millie remembers physically carrying her sister around pop-up shops and Record Store Cons. The sweet memory convinces her to leave a message for her sister to hear when she gets out of school. 

Her Florence business meetings are typically short and sweet video conferences, but once in while she heads into New York for formal meetings about the direction she wants to take the brand in. She cares most about getting into the lab to check out textures, designs, colors and scents. She can get sucked in for hours going over every detail and analyzing all the different swatches and drawing boards. It really is like her baby. 

Her security and team let her know a rough estimate of the size of the crowd before she step out of the car. NYC has the largest crowds. She hasn’t walked around freely since that summer she was in Central Park with Sadie, which felt like forever ago. When she steps outside again, she’s still overwhelmed by the giant boom and cheer of voices that have grown from the time she went into her meeting an hour before. Her fans block the sidewalk waiting to see her for just a few seconds as she waves and blows kisses while racing into the black car. 

Comfortably in the back of the car, she goes over her plan for the week that will have her zigzag across the country. Her next stop is her dress fitting at Valentino. She is nominated alongside Finn, the ensemble cast, and the show. If she wins, it would be her 3rd win at the Teen Choice Awards. She doesn’t have a speech planned if she wins yet. She is working on it in the car when she gets a call on her phone. She answers it quickly hoping it’s her sister. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi, is this a good time?” an unsuspecting Australian accent says. 

“Oh Dacre, how are you? Yes, I’m free. I’m in between meetings.” 

“Great, great, I want to let you know that I figured out that ticketing situation. I think I may have kicked out someone else’s plus one, but I got a seat.” 

“That is great! It’ll be worth it. We can meet on the blue carpet.” 

“Speaking of blue, or any color for that matter, I’m picking up a tie. Is there a particular color that would go with whatever you’re wearing? I hope you don’t mind if I match a bit.” 

“Dacre, you know this isn’t the Emmy’s? That's not for another month. You don’t need to wear a suit,” she pauses excited he's interested in being her date. “But, I will tell you I’m wearing a semi-casual white romper with a pink floral trim. So if you have a white shirt, you’ll look perfect! I mean not that you aren’t perfect, or even that you are, just ignore that I said that please!” She rubs her forehead. Dacre’s laugh warms her. “I still need to finish up with a speech, just in case I win.” 

“I have no doubts. They’d be crazy not to give you an award.” 

“Surfboard,” she mumbles half-distractedly. 

“What?” he asks confused. 

“For the Teen Choice Awards you win a surfboard. I’m pretty sure it’s life size too.” 

“Bloody Oath! That’s cool! Can you ride it?” he questions. 

“Um no, I’m pretty sure you don’t,” she teases him sarcastically. 

“I feel like a dickhead,” he admits embarrassed. 

“Oh no, I’m sorry! I think it would be cool if you could surf on them—I never learned how.” 

“I can teach you how sometime. One of the perks of growing up on a giant island! Maybe we could travel to Perth this winter? I was born there, rocky beaches, quiet beaches, they’ve got ‘em all.” 

“Are you serious? That's amazing I would absolutely love a lesson. I love Australia, especially the wildlife. I’m utterly obsessed with ‘roos and koalas, almost as much as whales! Do you know the Irwins?” she wonders. 

“No, I haven’t had the pleasure.” 

“I can introduce you!” she says giddy with delight. 

“This Christmas then? Surfing and exploring!” he confirms it with a grin. 

“Sounds like a plan,” she beams through the phone. She pauses. “I should really work on…” 

“Oh yes, please go ahead! We can talk soon.” 

Once the call phone ends, Millie throws her head back onto the leather seat. It feels like it's all a dream. In the next minute though, the smile disappears. She wonders how Finn would react to the news. 

*** 

“Are you letting me win?” Noah asks racing to press all the correct buttons to get passed this level. 

“Of course not! I’ll never let you win—I just can't see the screen,” Millie squints at the screen in the hotel room. She is practically blind without her glasses. She can’t count how many times she’s been caught in pictures and during interviews with her eyes practically squeezed shut as she attempted to read something just a foot in front of her. She is always eternally grateful that she has found luck in partnerships, for example VOGUE EYEWEAR. She never has to worry about finding fashionable glasses that match her style... except for right now. 

Noah invited her to record a video with him for his YouTube channel just before getting ready for the Teen Choice Awards at their hotel in Hollywood. They were playing the new PSP game for ‘Record Store.’ 

“This is it!” 

“No, it's not!” Millie says excitedly just as Noah’s avatar Will unlocks the door to the basement revealing the missing collection of vinyl records worth $1 million that will allow the record store to avoid foreclosure—the plotline of season four. 

“I win!” Noah gloats and runs around the room. Millie takes her time to admonish him and give a look in the direction of the camera. She hopes he doesn't cut that part out in post; she can imagine how funny it would be for his viewers. 

While she fell in love with Sadie once she joined the cast, Sadie arrived a whole year after the show began, and it took another season for them to actually have screen time together. This was a period of running lines together constantly and sharing girl stories that she just couldn’t share with all her other cast mates. In the time before Sadie, however, her all-time number one best friend from the cast was Noah because their personalities matched so well and they made the best dance videos that she couldn’t do confidently with anyone else. 

When Noah finishes running around, he turns off the console and fills her in on their next activity: a friendly round of the Best Friends game. The first three questions are child’s play. Question four is where things get interesting. It asks simply, “Celebrity Crush?” Millie knows Noah’s is Zendaya because it hasn’t changed even after he met her and they took a picture together. She remembers he made a fool out of himself on the MTV award stage by shouting her out. Noah actually pauses before answering his own question, scribbling one name, crumbling the sheet, and then scribbling the name of someone else. He beams so hard that she would have been nervous if she had been paying attention. 

“Alright, ready? One... two... three... flip!” he says, and they both flip their cards. On Noah’s he’s written in bold lettering: Dacre. He is grinning from ear to ear; positive that he is hilarious. Millie’s good-humor is completely knocked off her face. 

“Noah, shut the camera off please. Right now,” she says sternly. 

“I'm sorry Mills,” he is a little spooked by what he may have done wrong but complies bashfully. 

“What are you playing at? That’s not cool and you know it.” 

“I thought it would be funny. No one believes this stuff anyway.” 

“I just don’t think it’s funny,” she says looking away from him. 

“What happened with you and him? I thought you were friends... oh wait, are you two dating right now?” his eyes widen. She sucks in a breath. 

“Well,” she wonders how to tell him. She doesn’t know what the Teen Choice Awards are going to look like because obviously they always walk as a group, but Dacre has become definitely more than a kiddie Celebrity Crush. She tells him seriously, “We’re kind of seeing each other.” 

“Oh my gosh, MILLIE! I didn’t know! Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“It wasn’t really anything to speak about until now.” 

“This is so cool. What a game-changer,” he trails off thinking about what it would look like to see the two of them together as a couple from now on. “Shit!” he reacts catching her attention. 

“What?” 

“I’m just... well, like—what about Finn?” 

*** 

“What about Finn?” she asks him surprised. Noah gets hot in the collar. He is not about to rat out his other friend about his secret massive crush on Millie. He knows it’s not his place to get involved in either of their personal business whether Finn ever makes a move or she moves on with Dacre. 

“Just, what will the fans say?” he saves his own butt with some quick thinking. “You know they’ll be livid because they ship you guys so hard. There’ll be a lot of hate when you go public.” Noah convinces himself that this a major issue for her to be worried about even if she hasn’t thought of it herself. Millie sucks in another breath. Public! “What did I say now?” 

“Dacre and I are sort of going to the award show together.” She doesn’t have to wait long for him to blow up. 

“WHAT?!” 

“He’s going to match my outfit,” she says with a groan. She has not thought this through at all. 

“Well tonight’s going to be interesting for sure!”


End file.
